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2/5/13

The End of Confusion

D.C.'s newest major bike lane on L Street NW is causing confusion for drivers and frustration for bikers, as truckers and commuters park in the lanes because they don't know they're not supposed to, or they don't care.

So, which one is it: do drivers simply not know or do drivers just not care? I have some reasons to think it's the latter.

By my count, there are 75 (!) signs that read No Standing or Parking Anytime between the start of the protected cycle track at 22nd Street, NW and its end at 12th Street NW, a distance of a little more than a mile (1.1 miles per Google Maps walking directions). That works out to an average of about one No Standing or Parking Anytime Sign for every 78 feet of the cycle track. While the signs are not evenly spaced, multiple signs are present on each block. You can see photos of each one of them here.

We all know likelihood of getting caught is a better deterrent than size of penalty, right? And we have some major unemployment problems in DC, too. How about we kill two birds with one stone and hire a ton of traffic enforcement people who just walk around high traffic areas and write parking tickets, illegal turn tickets, jaywalking tickets, dumb cyclist tickets, etc. Make the fine low, like $15-20, but you have to pay on the spot. If you can't pay, you can mail it in, but the fine is $50. They could all carry smartphones and Square credit card readers like the food trucks. It would cost very little (Training? Can't be THAT expensive. Barely any equipment).

Unless one has never lived, driven in or parked in DC, one KNOWS darn well to look carefully at all signs, because there are so many gotchas where multiple signs DO get confusing. This is one of the most clearly signed streets in DC!